


Beautiful World

by jookabox



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2017-11-29 13:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jookabox/pseuds/jookabox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a broken world, Shinji Ikari finds his life turned upside down by the arrival of transfer student Kaworu Nagisa. After strange occurrences surrounding Kaworu unfold, Shinji realizes that there is something amiss with the transfer student, and they are embroiled in a plot more dangerous than they can imagine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beautiful Boy

I just watched Evangelion 3.0 today. I decided to honor it with my first work posted on AO3. I hope you enjoy, feedback is always welcome!

* * *

Beautiful World

Chapter One: Beautiful Boy

* * *

Ever since that kid transferred here, strange things have been happening. Everyone can sense it, and they're becoming uneasy. Well, there's always been tension here. His transfer was supposed to be a gesture of goodwill from another zone, but there's something wrong with him.

He's in my class, and he doesn't really say much. He spends more time in the nurse's office than in class; our teacher told us that he suffers from really bad migraines. He got one during a lockdown once, and I felt really bad for him. He looked like he was in severe pain.

When he gets a migraine, weird stuff starts to happen; electronic things, like the lights and our classroom's TV starts flickering and making weird noises. Once, a bulb actually broke! This even isn't the weirdest thing, but he spells his name Kaworu. Not Kaoru. He gets teased a lot for it, but it's only cause the kids in my school have nothing better to do.

We have nothing better to do. Going to school is the only thing we can do. There isn't an arcade or book shop that we can go to if we want to cut class, and no one dares venture outside the Absolute Safe Zone, except for the transfer of students to other schools.

Kaworu Nagisa exists in name only; there's nothing listed for him in any records I could find. All we know is that he started school in 2008, he gets really bad migraines, and he makes us all nervous. The zone he was transferred from is known as Sector Delta, which in the past was in a place known as Yokohama. It's a relatively dangerous zone. Our school is located in the ruins of Tokyo; it was the only building left standing in a bomb crater, and they had to put 300 orphans somewhere. The dorms we live in are relatively new, so we were sleeping in the school gym for about a year.

Our dorms aren't segregated by gender out of necessity; I live with two girls at the moment, Asuka and Rei. They are like fire and water. Asuka is hot-tempered, while Rei is quiet. Asuka really gets irritated by Rei quite often, so I usually have to intervene. Come to think of it, I've only seen Rei lose her temper once; Asuka brought up the war, which must've pinched a nerve for Rei. She slapped her across the face and took off; she didn't come home until the next morning, and they haven't spoken of it since.

The war brings up the most painful memories for everyone; it's the reason we're here. A popular name for it was the "lightning war"; the enemy attacked faster than we were ready for; I was separated from my parents, so I have to assume they're dead. I know Rei's house caught on fire, and she watched her parents burn to death. Asuka hasn't said anything about what happened to her family, but I'm sure she lost them too.

Before the war, we used to have school from Monday to Saturday; now we only have school from Monday to Friday, and we get off early on Fridays. However, most of the students stay behind to do clubs and other work. Not me, though. I like to spend my time at home. Rei is a part of the history club, and Asuka is on the track team. So usually I go home by myself.

This past week, I was getting ready to go home, when suddenly the school was placed in a state of lockdown. I sighed; this was a routine experience. I was about to head back inside when I heard someone groaning. It sounded like they were in pain. I looked around the corner.

Kaworu was on the ground, clutching his head. I dropped to his side.

"Nagisa?! What's wrong?" I shook him lightly. He winced, reeling away slightly. I shook him again.

"Nagisa, we have to go back inside. The doors will lock in a minute or so."

"Leave me." he hissed.

"Don't be ridiculous! Come on, I'll help you." I lifted him up and threw his arm around my shoulder. His skin shocked me, as it was ice cold. I didn't realize how pale he was before, either. Barely standing on his own two feet, he followed my lead as we made our way towards the doors.

Suddenly, we were knocked to the ground by an unseen force. I opened my eyes, and became frozen with fear. A monster was staring at us, with dead green eyes and a mouth full of jagged, sharp teeth. Its eyes were trained on Kaworu.

"W-what is that thing?!" I cried out. It lunged for Kaworu. I watched in horror as it pounced on him...and the most terrifying thing I've ever seen happened.

Kaworu's body began to glow. He tensed up, gasping as he began to glow brighter. Whatever was affecting him was lifting him off the ground. Letting out a loud cry of pain, the light shot from him like a bullet, blowing the monster away. It was enveloped in light, and disintegrated.

Kaworu collapsed again, fighting to breathe as he curled up into a ball.

I hesitantly got closer to him. He tightened up more.

"Go away. Don't touch me." he hissed. I think he meant for his words to be scathing, but they sounded more like pleas. His back shuddered; he was sobbing.

"Nagisa..." I tried to sound soothing. I put a hand on his back. He slowly relaxed his body, but I could tell he was still shaking.

"You're going home, right? I'll take you there."

He nodded, and turned to face me. I never had the chance to look at his face from this close, and was surprised to see he had red eyes. I knew there was something amiss about him. I lifted him up from the ground, and the intercom came on: "Students and staff, the lockdown is now complete. Please return to your dorms immediately."

The school began to bustle with activity, as students began to exit the school. By the time the school was completely vacated, I had brought Kaworu back to his dorm. He handed me the key to his dorm with one trembling hand. Once we were inside, I guided him to his room. His dorm was sparsely decorated; nothing but the standard furniture that came with the place. I didn't think much of it, however, since many dorms were the same way. Things like posters or calendars were simply reminders of a life we couldn't return to.

He let go of me and flopped on to his bed, once again curling into a ball.

"Do you have a migraine now, Nagisa?" I asked. Why was I making small talk?

He shook his head. "No."

"Okay. Well, I have to go home now." He was silent. I knew my presence was no longer wanted. I turned to leave.

"...Ikari." I spun back around, surprised that he knew my name.

He had turned to face me, his tired red eyes staring.

"Thank you."

I nodded, offering a small smile.

"Ikari, please don't tell anyone what you saw."

I felt the colour drain from my face. "...I won't."

He turned away from me again, and I left.

It was very faint, but I could've sworn I heard him say something.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."


	2. Contact Incident

 

Thank you so much for the kudos and the hits! You are all too kind. ^^

I chose to omit honorifics such as -san, -kun, etc. I probably should've mentioned that from the get-go.

Shinji refers to his friends by name in his inner monologue, but uses their last names out of courtesy.

I should apologize for the OOCness of these characters. ^^' I plan for angst, angst, and more angst later on.

Anyways, that's enough from me. Please enjoy!

* * *

Beautiful World

Chapter Two: Contact Incident

* * *

 

When I arrived home, Rei and Asuka were sitting at the table, listening to the radio. The only station available was the school's, so they must've been looking for information about today's lockdown.

  
Asuka rose from the table. She looked upset. "There you are! Where the hell have you been, Ikari?!" she demanded, advancing at a menacing pace. I found myself pressed against the door.

  
"I'm sorry, Soryu! I got caught up with the lockdown." I explained. My excuse had to be rather short.

  
Asuka raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Whatever. I'm glad you're okay." she said sternly. She cast her stare upon Rei.

  
"Nothing about the lockdown," Rei reported. She turned off the radio.

  
"Ah well. I'm sure it was nothing important. Let's eat, I'm starving." Asuka walked towards the fridge and opened it. She peered inside, but her expression said that there was nothing of interest inside.

  
"I tried to call you, you know." Asuka muttered, pushing glass bottles and plastic containers back and forth in the fridge. I patted my shirt pocket and realized my cell phone was gone. It must've fallen out of my pocket when that...thing tackled Kaworu and I. I sighed, and opened the door again.

  
"I forgot it at the school. I'll be right back."

  
"Dinner in ten! Don't you dare be late!" Asuka called after me.

  
I smiled. She was like a mother to Rei and I. It was a strange role for a girl her age to be taking on, but it held everything together for us. It was semblance of the family that we had all lost.

  
I breathed in the cool air as I stepped down the stairs; the sun was beginning to set and cast a purple hue across the sky. The air helped to clear my muddled mind a little bit; it was still in the middle of processing the events that had transpired today. I had many questions, but no one to answer them.

  
As if someone up there was listening, I heard a small voice from  the bottom of the stairs.

  
"Ikari."

  
"Nagisa?" I reached the bottom and indeed it was Kaworu standing there. He was holding something in his hand.

  
"How are you feeling?" I asked.

  
He handed my cell phone to me. "I'm okay."

  
"That's good, then." An awkward silence fell over us. I had to be home soon, lest Asuka scream my ear off.

  
"I have to go back soon. But I'm glad I bumped into you again."

 

His tired face brightened slightly. "Why?"

  
"Yeah. I want to say thank you. For saving my life."

  
Kaworu looked embarrassed now. "...Any time."

  
I laughed at his response. I held up my phone. "And thanks for this, too."

  
He nodded, and I turned away.

  
"Well, see you in class." I said, starting back up the stairs.

  
"I-Ikari!" He called after me. I turned back to face him.

  
"What is it?"

  
"I'm sorry. I didn't want anyone involved; especially you."

  
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

  
"I know you have a lot of questions, but I can't answer them right now. I wish I didn't have to."

  
"I, uh, understand. The time will come." I offered.

  
"Right."

  
I started walking up the stairs again. "Later."

  
When I opened the door to my dorm, Asuka watched me come in, her lips pulled up into a smug grin. She must've been watching through the window of our living room.

  
I felt my cheeks turn bright red. "What?" I hissed.

  
"Nothing," she replied in a sing-song voice, "glad Nagisa didn't hold you up for too long."

  
I wasn't sure what she might be implying, but I went with the most obvious. "Don't be stupid, it's not like that!"

  
"Now, now, don't get defensive. Sit down and eat some dinner. Ayanami, would you put the radio on?" Asuka seated herself, and I followed suit.

  
"Sorry?" Rei asked.

  
"Not this shit again...would you put on the radio _please_?" Asuka hissed.

  
"Oh, gladly." Rei turned the radio on.

  
"...Is pleased to announce that a special advanced program will be instituted starting Monday, with the names of the chosen students announced at 18:00 Sunday evening. Now, for the weather..."

  
Asuka sighed. "Why do they suddenly change the subject like that? It's almost like they started the broadcast mid-sentence."

  
"Special advanced program...for gifted students?" I pondered aloud.

  
"Or for exceptionally dumb kids." Asuka remarked, eyes trained on me.

  
"Yeah, yeah yeah..." I said. I glanced over at Rei, who looked slightly disappointed in me.

  
Asuka smiled. "Idiot Ikari."

  
"If that helps you sleep at night, Soryu." I sighed. Asuka giggled, leaning back into her chair. She raised her arms into the air and stretched. She let them fall back to her sides before getting up.

  
"Ikari, do you mind cleaning up? I gotta go shower."

  
"No problem. Thank you for dinner." I rose from the table. Rei, as if she had missed a cue, rose akwardly too.

  
"Thanks, Soryu. I'll help, Shinji."

  
Asuka sent a little glare at Rei. "Not a problem." She disappeared down the hall to the bathroom.

  
Rei is the only one who calls me by my first name. I think she does it to annoy Asuka. It's strange that we've been living together for over a year now, and we still call each other by our last names. To me, it's like a safeguard; if I keeps Rei and Asuka at a distance, then we won't hurt each other as much. It's a comfortable distance for me.

  
I was absentminded in washing the dishes; Rei had elected to dry them, and saved two plates from breaking when they slipped from my fingers.

  
"Shinji, what's wrong?" she asked.

  
I suddenly snapped out of it. "Ah, it's nothing. I'm sorry, Ayanami."

  
She nodded. Silence was cast over us again. A few minutes later she opened her mouth to speak. "Was it what Soryu said? Is that bothering you?"

  
"No, it's nothing." The words I wanted to say kept rising in my throat, but Kaworu's plea of silence pushed them down.

  
"You're not an idiot. Don't listen to what Soryu says. She's the idiot." Rei said sharply.

  
"Careful, she might be listening." I joked. I was surprised that Rei was capable of a bitter sentiment like that. However, I knew that Rei would feel animosity towards Asuka, given their last argument.

  
"I know Soryu was kidding, but thanks for saying that." I offered a smile.

  
Rei blushed bright red. "Not a problem. O-oh, look! The dishes are all done now."

  
"Great. Thanks for the help, too."

  
She nodded and dashed off, heading towards her room. I chuckled. Rei seemed so out of this world; she got flustered easily and didn't know how to react to most situations. It was as perplexing as it was intriguing.

  
I sighed, flopping on the couch in our tiny living room. I could hear Asuka sliding the bathroom door open, sneaking into her room. I didn't even bother to look. I was so exhausted from today's turn of events that I was getting a headache.

  
I started to feel dizzy. Then the room started to spin. I wondered if Asuka had cooked a hallucinogenic into our food when bright images of crosses and halos flashed into my field of vision, making it hard to concentrate. I closed my eyes to escape them, but they were behind my eyelids too. I went to my room to lie down and pray for it to pass.

  
The darkness of my room didn't help. The illusions seemed brighter in the dark. About 10 minutes later they ceased, but I was overcome with a splitting headache.

  
It was the worst pain I had ever experienced. I tossed and turned on my bed, willing it to go away. I thought feverishly to determine the cause of my headache. Suddenly, it came to me: was this a migraine?

  
I sat up in bed, the sudden movement causing a rush of pain. I shakily got on my feet, stumbling in the hall towards the bathroom. I rummaged around in the cabinets under the sink. I knew we had painkillers here, but they had conveniently migrated somewhere else.

  
I finally found them about five minutes later. I shook two from the bottle and swallowed them down. My quest now complete, I shuffled back to my room to lie down again.

  
In the darkness of my room, it was eerily quiet. In my mind, clouded by pain, I felt like I was in a different dimension; like I was in a place between this world and the next.

  
A voice entered my mind. It was quiet, but pained. "Ikari..." it cried.

  
I felt the color drain from my face. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Nagisa?"

  
It was an intense auditory illusion. I was so shocked that migraines could cause this. Kaworu's voice stopped, like he had actually heard me. His dorm is in the building across from mine, so there was no way...

  
He suddenly started to speak again. "I was too late...I can't apologize enough...sorry, Ikari..." His voice wavered like a radio stuck between stations.

  
Like at the flick of a switch, his voice cut off again and everything went quiet. The painkillers had started to take effect, soothing the vice-like pain in my head.

  
After the pain had subsided, I immediately dozed off.

  
Even as I slept, a strange feeling stayed in the back of my mind.

  
I felt that I was being watched.  
  



	3. I Hope You'll Understand

Oh my gosh. I am so sorry this chapter took so long. >.<

I got super busy all of a sudden and I haven't had a chance to sit down and finish it until recently.

Hopefully it'll be worth the wait!

Again, thank you so much for the kudos and bookmarks!

Please enjoy!

* * *

Beautiful World

Chapter 3: I Hope You'll Understand

 

* * *

 

When I woke up in the morning, my head was still throbbing. It was a welcome sensation compared to the pain last night. I was still shocked at the suddenness and severity of the migraine; as far as I was concerned, I did nothing to trigger it. I wasn't convinced it was natural, either.

I sat up in my bed, groggy. A glance at my clock told me that it was 10:30. I'd better get out of bed and go eat breakfast. Asuka hated for anyone to be late for any meal, even Rei. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, staggering slightly. I was still unsteady from last night, although it could've been hunger talking. I headed towards the kitchen; Asuka had the breakfast laid out and was sitting down to eat. Phew, another bullet dodged.

"Oh! Morning, Ikari." Asuka greeted me.

Rei greeted me with a slight bow of her head.

I returned the bow and looked at Asuka. "Good morning, Soryu. Breakfast looks delicious."

"Good thing you didn't miss it then! I'm surprised you weren't up earlier."

I sat at the table. "Yeah, I wasn't feeling good last night." I replied, pulling rice and eggs onto my plate. Both girls furrowed their eyebrows.

"Do you have a fever?" Asuka asked, reaching a hand over the table. I instinctively pulled away; she looked surprised that I did.

"I got a really bad headache. My head is still aching."

"That seems serious." Rei commented.

"A headache? A...migraine?" Asuka asked, putting quite a bit of humorous emphasis on the word migraine. I winced at the memory.

"Yes." I replied. After filling my plate, I put my hands together. "Thanks for the meal."

We ate in silence. Rei and Asuka looked like they had more to say. More questions.

"Shinji, I have a history club meeting today. Can you water the garden?" Rei asked after a while.

"Yeah, I have track until late tonight, so dinner's on you." Asuka added.

"Sure, sure." I replied.

We fell back into silence. Rei was first to finish eating. She rose from the table and went to her room.

"Sheesh! Ungrateful little..." Asuka hissed. "You! Why does she get to call you by your first name?" she demanded angrily .

"I didn't say she could!" I argued back.

She wasn't satisfied by my answer. She rose from the table, causing a clamor."Whatever." She stormed off to her room. I sighed and put my own plate down. I didn't realize that Rei calling me by my first name would be so significant to her. Fighting always left a bad taste in my mouth, so I started clearing away the table. Soon after, Rei headed out and was followed shortly after by Asuka; neither of them said goodbye.

I put the leftovers in the fridge, peering inside to see what I could make for dinner. I settled on a simple dish of fried rice; it was the only meal that was within my range of skills. Content with my decision, I left the dorm to begin my first chore.

Rei's garden was clandestine, to say the least. Due to past skirmishes over food, the Inner Tokyo Government banned privately-owned places like gardens and farms and started distributing freeze-dried food to everyone in the zone.

The garden was a housed in a dilapidated shrine, located on the fringes of the ASZ. It seemed that someone else had been taking care of it previously, but skeletal remains outside of the shrine spelled out that individual's fate. The garden is home to carrots, potatoes and one watermelon plant. Next to the history club, it was Rei's favorite thing in the world.

We kept the shrine locked; because there was no original key, we learned how to lockpick long ago. I pulled the doors open and took in the smell of fresh dirt. Instantly, a picture of emerald green fields entered my mind. It was a pleasant reminder of how things used to be.

After watering the plants and checking for weeds, I got up to leave when something startled me. A figure was watching me from the open doors.

I froze. I knew that if word of this garden spread throughout the school, there would be a lot of trouble.

"W-who's there?" I hesitantly asked.

"It's Nagisa." Kaworu's voice called back.

I relaxed slightly and walked towards him. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry, Ikari."

"Did you follow me here?"

He chuckled. "You're not the only one who knows of this place."

I felt my cheeks burn slightly. "Oh, right. Wait, you've been here before?"

"Only recently." he replied.

I nodded. It was dumb luck that we had stumbled upon the shrine, and it took us a long time to memorize the path to get there. The fact that Kaworu had found it in mere weeks was a remarkable feat.

"We should head back." Kaworu suggested.

"Ah yeah, you're right." We walked out of the shrine, and I locked the doors. I decided to trust in his sense of direction, and followed behind him.

Questions that demanded to be answered flew through my mind. There was no easy way to bring it up, however. He walked silently in front of me, which presented no opportunities for idle chatter.

After a while we found our way back to the dorms. I stepped in front of him. I'd be damned if I let him walk away without explaining himself.

"You say you knew about the shrine, but did you follow me today?" I asked.

Kaworu looked uncomfortable. He leaned in close to me. "Let's talk in your dorm."

"Ah...okay." I took the lead up the stairs. I punched in our passcode, unlocking the door. Kaworu was following closely behind me.

"Quick, shut and lock the door." he slipped from behind and plopped down on the couch.

I did as he asked, watching as he took quick glances out the window of the living room.

"Is there somewhere more private we could talk?"

"My room, I guess..." I sheepishly replied. The idea of having him in my room made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Ikari. It's merely for security purposes."

"It's just down here." I walked down the hall, opening the door to my room.

He followed after me, closing the door. I sat on my bed, while he took a seat in a chair facing a desk, legs spread across the back of it.

I cast my eyes down at my balled fists. All sorts of emotions were rising up in me. I gathered the necessary courage to speak, and rose my head. He beat me to the punch.

"I think I understand how you feel. Angry, scared and confused, right?"

"Mostly scared. Is this all because we talked for the first time yesterday?"

"Yes. It was unavoidable, unfortunately. See, this is part of their scheme."

"Who are you talking about? You mean there's more to this?"

"Ikari, listen to me. I can't tell you the meaning of our meeting, but it was premeditated; it will all become clear very soon."

"When will the migraines stop? I'm assuming the first won't be the last."

"Well, you're right about that. They may never stop."

"And the monsters?"

"It's all the same."

"But when you killed that monster...how did that happen?"

Kaworu froze. "I can't say."

A feeling of helplessness came over me; I let my head drop, again staring at my fists in my lap. This time I noticed they were shaking.

"Nagisa, I can honestly say I don't feel any better about this situation."

"I know." He rose from his chair. "Look, I just want you to be aware of the position you're in. It's the reason I followed you today."

With that, he walked over to the door and opened it.

"Wait!" I rose too. "That's it? That's the explanation I get?"

He turned to face me. He had a look of surprise on his face. "You're angry?"

"You haven't explained anything to me at all!" He chuckled and turned away.

"Don't be so childish. I've told you everything you need to know for now."

I gnashed my teeth. The bastard!

"Don't you have a dinner to attend to? Wouldn't want to make that hellion angry, right?"

With that, he left the room. He was right; I was angry. His cryptic words really left me with nothing to go on. If anything I was more confused than before. But if it was really him talking to me telepathically last night, why was he so apologetic?

I sighed. My brain had reached its queries limit for the day. I rose and went into the kitchen; maybe cooking would take my mind off of things.

...Not only that, but I was afraid of making Asuka angry. He got that right, too.


	4. Crying Lightning

Oh my god, oh my god.

I owe all of you a HUGE apology.

I am so sorry this chapter is so late!

It's funny how life often gets in the way.

My last exam is tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some more writing done over Christmas break.

I'm so happy that you guys are enjoying this story! Thank you for the hits and the kudos. ^^

I've had to rewrite the ending of this chapter five times now. It was more of a hurdle than anything.

I just really wanted some fluff (don't we all?).

I still hope you can enjoy it, and I'll try to have the next chapter up all speedy-like.

Please enjoy, and thank you so much for reading!

* * *

Beautiful World

Chapter Four: Crying Lightning

* * *

 

There's a phrase that Asuka likes to fling around from time to time. She claims that it came from way back, but I think she's just making it up.

_"Only an idiot burns rice."_

I understand the meaning of it; it's for someone who messes up the easiest tasks. But tonight, I think that its literal meaning is appropriate.

Both girls, tired and hungry, poked around their dinner plates with unappetized looks on their faces. I looked down at my own plate; the fried rice was indeed burnt, with scorched little pieces of vegetables and chicken poking out every which way.

Asuka only took one bite before she locked her eyes on me. "Ikari, did you even try?"

I winced at the harshness of her words. "Of course I did. I'm sorry, Soryu, I just have a lot on my mind tonight." I offered her.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and threw down her spoon. She rose from the table. "I asked you to do one simple thing, and you fucked it up. You're an idiot!" She stormed towards the door.

"Soryu! Where are you going?" I called after her.

"To Hikari's. I bet she has edible food there." With that, she walked off, slamming the door behind her.

I sighed, staring at her full plate across from me. Rei had spent those last moments observing us. She brought a full spoon of rice to her mouth and ate it.

"Soryu has no taste. This is good, Shinji." Rei said quietly, and continued eating.

"Ayanami, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to." I said. Even I couldn't continue eating it.

"I'm happy you put in the effort to make something for us. Thank you." Rei replied. She brought another spoonful to her mouth.

I felt my cheeks tinge red. "Bad food can make you sick."

But this isn't bad."

She continued to eat, while I stared at my own full plate.

"Did you water the garden?"

"Ah, yes. But something strange happened."

She looked up. "What? Did one of our classmates follow you?" She looked anxious.

"Yes, Nagisa."

"Nagisa? That worries me."

"He told me he had known about it already."

Rei put down her spoon; her brows furrowed deeper. "I don't trust him."

I wanted to agree with her, but Kaworu had saved my life. "I know."

"You've spent the most time with him, what do you know about him?"

"Nothing really." I lied.

"I see." She rose from the table, indicating that she was done eating. "Thank you for supper, Shinji."

"I'm sorry you had to suffer through it, Ayanami."

She turned away from me and walked towards the hallway. I was busy cleaning up when I heard her voice pipe up.

"...Rei."

"What?"

She turned to face me, a pink blush spread across her cheeks. "Call me Rei. It's been long enough."

"What's this, all of a sudden?"

Her face turned redder still. "N-never mind. I'm sorry, Shinji. It's too much to ask."

While I was scrambling to think of something to say, she had slipped into the hallway. I heard the small sound of her door closing. Rei had retreated into her little den, and was not to be disturbed for the rest of the night.

I threw the rest of the rice in the trash, wincing as I did so. Between washing and scrubbing dishes, I contemplated going to Hikari's house and bringing Asuka back home. I knew she wouldn't want to talk to me, but we had to have a discussion about why she had been so irritable over the past few days.

Finishing with the dishes, I slipped on a hoodie and set off to find her. It was very dark, and most of the streetlamps weren't working. Walking down the stairs and across the compound, I racked my brain trying to remember what building Hikari lived in.

I wandered on for a little bit longer, realizing that I was completely lost. I had climbed over a dozen staircases and crossed over from compound to compound before giving up. Even if I had found Asuka, I didn't know what I would say to her. She was harbouring something too sensitive to come up in conversation naturally, but she had probably dropped several hints that I missed.

I turned around and almost had a heart attack: Kaworu was standing behind me.

"Stop following me!" I snapped.

He tilted his head in slight amusement. "Do you know they follow you every time you're alone?"

A chill went down my spine. "Surely they don't wanna kill me that badly."

"You're even more naive than I thought." Kaworu sighed. He walked towards me, looping his arm in mine. "Well, your majesty, shall I escort you home?"

I pushed him away from me. "Get off of me!"

He looked hurt. "Ikari, I'm doing this for your own protection..."

"I don't feel any safer when you're around."

He perked his head up, as if he had seen something. I paused as well, trying to listen.  
He grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me under a nearby staircase, throwing me into the space underneath. He sat down beside me, clapping a hand over his mouth and mine.  
I tried to yell in protest, but he gripped my jaw tighter, shaking his head. He was staring hard at me, and once I studied his face, I saw that his eyes were full of fear.

There was something out there.

Another monster? My question was answered by a low rumbling growl. I could hear its claws click on the ground. It was drawing nearer and nearer to us. I could hear my heart racing in my ears. The noises stopped as, I assumed, the monster had paused. My heart skipped a beat.

I looked over at Kaworu, whose facade of calm was fading quickly. Tears were swimming in his red eyes, and he flinched with every noise the monster made.

I felt him enter my mind, a slight migraine washing over me.

 _"If that monster finds us, I can't protect you like I did last time,"_   he admitted.

 _"Does it know that?"_ I asked.

He nodded, wincing. His eyes darted around, looking for any possible way out of this.

Oh god. Oh god. He was just as afraid as I was. We were now completely defenceless. All we could do was sit in mute terror and hope that the monster would just give up. That's when our hearts stopped.

 _Click. Click. Click_. Pause.

The monster was on the staircase above us. We could hear it breathing. It growled, lowering its face to the stairs and taking in short sniffs.

I felt my chest constrict. It was going to find us, and it was going to kill us. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to come rushing down the stairs.

Suddenly, my head was struck with a sudden pain. I looked at Kaworu and saw he was feeling it as well. I felt my mind enter the place in between, and heard a small voice begin to speak.

 _"You're wasting time...come back,"_ an almost inhuman voice commanded. The monster above us growled again, and jumped off the staircase. I held my breath.

Silence. Nothing. It was gone.

Kaworu took his hand off of our mouths and gasped loudly. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm down.

"That was close," was all I could say.

Kaworu exhaled shakily, tears spilling from his red eyes. He collapsed into me. I flinched; I had to stop myself from pushing him away. 

"Nagisa, it's okay. We're still alive." I tried to sound soothing.

He looked up to stare at me. Even though he was crying, his gaze pierced through me. "My life isn't as important as yours is."

"Hey, that's a harsh thing to say about yourself."

Anguish washed over his face. "Don't you understand? I have to protect you at all costs, even at the cost of my own life. If I lost you, then..."

This was too strange. "Nagisa, were you scared I was gonna die?"

He pushed his head back into my chest. "More than anything."

I was too dumbstruck to move. What was I supposed to do? I always thought the norm between guys was to slap the other and tell them to grow a pair. Granted, Asuka had no problem doing that to me. But Kaworu was different.

I gingerly put my arms around him. "It's okay. I'm still here."

He responded to the embrace by pulling in closer to me, trying in vain to stifle sobs. "I'm sorry, Ikari. I'm so sorry."

"Why do you keep apologizing?"

"What are you two doing underneath there?"


	5. See You Tomorrow

* * *

Oh hey. It's been a while.

I'm sorry. I am so, so, sorry.

It's funny how life often gets in the way. Lots of up and down stuff on my end. But it's okay!

I just wanted to churn this chapter out before it reaches its three-year hiatus anniversary. So, this chapter is probably not up to snuff.

I'm starting school again soon, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. But it feels nice to be doing something that I used to enjoy.

Without further ado, here's some readin' for ya. Take care!

* * *

 Beautiful World

Chapter Five: See You Tomorrow

* * *

 

 

"What are you two doing underneath there?" a familiar voice barked. In a panic, I scrambled forward; mostly to escape, but I realized shortly after we were blocked in. As I moved, Kaworu fell away from me, landing with a loud thud.

  
This was bad. I just wanted to get Kaworu and me out of here. My eyes sauntered upwards, as my brain tried to figure out who was standing over us.

  
_"It's Aida..."_ Kaworu's voice said softly. I glanced at Kaworu; he was lying on the ground, motionless.

  
"Aida? Is that you?" I asked. As the question left my mouth, I could see his large round glasses glint in the dull lamplight over our heads. Kensuke Aida was the designated 'hall monitor': he went around the compound making sure no one broke curfew. I knew very well that Aida took this job very seriously.

  
"Ikari, what are you guys doing? It's way past curfew!"

  
I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket. The time read 22:48. The curfew across the compound was 22:00. "Shit. Aida, I'm sorry. I-"

  
"You what? Ikari, you better have a really good excuse for this. I don't want to report you."

  
"I don't want that either. We were just being stupid." I paused, scanning my panicked brain for a plausible excuse. Looking again at Kaworu, it hit me. "Remember the girl who killed herself here two years ago?"

  
I could see a visible chill go down Kensuke's spine. Bingo. I recalled a vague memory of his fear of ghosts.

  
 "Yeah?" he replied, trying to mask the slight fear in his voice.

  
"Well, I heard a rumor that if you look under these stairs at the time she died, you can see her staring back at you."

  
"God, Ikari! That's so creepy! Where do you get this stuff?!" Kensuke whined.

  
I let out a fake laugh. "I told you, it was a rumor. Not a good reason to break curfew though."

  
"So did you see it?"

  
"...We saw something." I could feel a chill sink into my bones.

  
"Huh. Hey, isn't that Nagisa? What's wrong with him?"

  
"Oh, uh...I think he got one of his migraines. I think he got really scared too, so I should probably get him home." I clapped my hands together, raising them up to Kensuke. "Please, can we let this slide? We won't do it again ever, I promise."

  
Kensuke sighed in annoyance. "...Just this once. Go home, both of you."

  
With that, he stepped away from us and started up the stairs, resuming his patrol. Once I was sure he was gone, I shifted my attention back to Kaworu. He hadn't moved an inch.

  
"Nagisa?"

  
He stirred slowly, quietly moaning in pain.

  
"Nagisa...let's get you back to your room." I reached my hand out to him, only to have him slap it away.

  
"N-not yet...just give me a minute," he whispered.

  
"Okay." I rested on my knees, waiting quietly. The cellphone in my hand buzzed. It was a text message. I flipped open the phone to read it.

  
_From: Ayanami_  
_Shinji, Soryu came back. Where are you?_  
_-Rei_

  
I breathed a sigh of relief. I was very glad to hear that Asuka didn't have a run in with that monster. If that happened...

  
A chill went down my spine. I slipped my phone back into my pocket, looking back at Kaworu.

  
"Nagisa, we really need to go home."

  
He nodded, finally pushing himself up. He pressed his hands against the ground, trying to steady himself. I could see that his arms were shaking. In fact, his whole body was trembling.

He shot me a look of disgust, but I could still see the fear in his eyes. "Don't look at me like that," he snapped.

  
"I've never seen someone as afraid as you were," was all I could say. I backed out from underneath the stairs, rising to my feet. My legs were trembling as well.

  
Slowly, shakily, he stood. He reached an arm out to me, silently asking for support. I dipped my shoulder, allowing him to grab on. We then began our journey back to our dorm, which was a slow one. I was questioning which one of us would have our legs give out first. Finally, we climbed the stairs and reached his front door.

  
"Nagisa, we're here." I announced. He nodded; he had been staring at the ground the entire walk back. Silently, he pulled out his keycard and unlocked the door, letting his arm fall limply to his side. At this point, I was essentially dragging him inside.

  
I figured he would just want to lie down as soon as we were safely inside. I guided him to the couch.

  
"I'm gonna head home. Will you be okay?" I asked, turning towards the door. His clammy, shaking hand grabbed my arm.

  
"No. I need you to stay here." He finally lifted his head to look at me. God, there was still so much fear in his eyes.

  
"Why? Aren't we safe now?"

  
"For now, yes. But I just can't be alone right now."

  
His tone of voice was urgent, and almost pleading. A strange feeling spread across my chest. However, I think he could tell that I wasn't convinced enough.

  
"...When I'm like this, my migraines get much worse. And yours will too. You remember that, don't you?"

  
My stomach churned at the thought of it. His statement made sense, however. "...Alright. I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

  
I flopped down opposite of him on the couch, pulling out my phone. I thought I'd better send the girls a message to let them know that I was alright. Without warning, he collapsed into my lap. The sudden weight made me yelp.

  
"Nagisa! Get up!" I snapped, trying to jostle him off. He grunted in protest.

  
"No. I can't move. Let me sleep."

  
"I can't sleep while you're like this!" I complained.

  
Kaworu whipped his head up to look at me. "Fine. Help me then."

  
He sat up, allowing me to stand. I pulled his arm over my shoulder, leading him to his room. I gently laid him on the bed.

  
"Alright. I'm gonna go sleep on the couch."

  
"Then go already." He muttered, turning so his back was facing me. I went back and flopped on the couch, and just started staring at the ceiling. I let out a long sigh, as if that would help me process what was happening.

  
I saw my phone on the floor, remembering I needed to send Rei and Asuka a message.

  
_To: Ayanami, Soryu_  
_I'm safe. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner._  
_See you tomorrow._  
_-Ikari_

  
There. I put the phone back on the floor, and relaxed my body into the couch. I closed my eyes, lying in darkness and silence.

  
As I drifted off to sleep, my head started to quietly buzz.

  
And I could hear, coming from his room, Kaworu's muffled sobs.


End file.
